A.Word.A.Day Archives
from http://wordsmith.org/awad
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Date: Mon Jun 3 00:05:02 EDT 2013
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--calyculus
X-Bonus: Every increased possession loads us with new weariness. -John Ruskin, author, art critic, and social reformer (1819-1900)
The most misspelled word in the English language has to be 'referrer'.
At least on the Internet where the misspelling 'referer' occurs 25%
more often than the correct spelling. For this we can thank a computer
scientist named Phillip Hallam-Baker.
In the early 1990s, when specifications for the Web were being hammered
out, Hallam-Baker suggested a 'referer' value to keep track of what Web
page a user clicked on to land on another Web page. The spelling has
stuck since then, but let's not be too hard on him.
English spelling has never been consistent, which explains the prevalence
of spelling bee http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/30/us/spelling-bee/index.html
competitions in English, unheard of in other languages.
For example British English uses 'traveller', while American English goes
with 'traveler'. But even the doubling of consonants is not consistent.
Consider British 'enrol' vs. American 'enroll', while both languages go
with 'comforter' and 'transmitter'.
No wonder engineers feel more at ease with computer languages over human
languages.
This week's words appear to be misspelled, but aren't. Watch out -- your
spellchecker is going to go ballistic.
calyculus or caliculus (kuh-LIK-yuh-luhs) noun
A cup-shaped structure.
[From Greek kalyx (cup, covering).]
Today's word in Visual Thesaurus: http://visualthesaurus.com/?w1=calyculus
Acetabularia calyculus http://wordsmith.org/words/images/calyculus_large.jpg
Photo: Isabel Rubio http://www.flickr.com/photos/59131100@N08/8240984874/
"It's attached over the whole inner surface of calyculus."
Queensland Naturalist (Australia); 1991.
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Date: Tue Jun 4 00:05:03 EDT 2013
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--swoopstake
X-Bonus: In the face of suffering, one has no right to turn away, not to see. -Elie Wiesel, writer, Nobel laureate (b. 1928)
This week's theme: Words that appear to be misspellings
swoopstake (SWOOP-stayk) adverb
In an indiscriminate manner.
[Alteration of sweepstake, from sweep + stake, originally referring
to the winner who takes all. Earliest documented use: 1599.]
"I replied by falling swoopstake and cropneck* in love with them all,
damn it, them all."
Kathleen Tynan; Tynan Letters; Vintage; 2012.
* completely
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Date: Wed Jun 5 00:05:02 EDT 2013
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--theocrasy
X-Bonus: The cure for anything is salt water -- sweat, tears, or the sea. -Isak Dinesen (pen name of Karen Blixen), author (1885-1962)
This week's theme: Words that appear to be misspellings
theocrasy (thee-AWK-ruh-see) noun
A mixture of deities or religious forms.
[From Greek theo- (god)- + -krasia (blending). Earliest documented use: 1816.]
"Even if the Jewish travellers were giving thanks to Pan Euhodos, such
minor use of a pagan temple hardly represents a movement towards theocrasy."
R.P. Gordon; The God of Israel; Cambridge University Press; 2007.
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Date: Thu Jun 6 00:01:03 EDT 2013
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--agrement
X-Bonus: Convictions are more dangerous enemies of truth than lies. -Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche, philosopher (1844-1900)
This week's theme: Words that appear to be misspellings
agrement (ah-GRAY-mahnt, -mahn*) noun [* this syllable is nasal]
1. Formal approval, especially one given by a country to the proposed
diplomat from another country.
2. Grace notes: notes applied as an embellishment on a piece of music.
[From French agrément (approval, agreement, pleasure), from Latin ad- (to)
+ gratus (pleasing). Earliest documented use: 1711.]
"Relations again deteriorated when Iran denied agrement to UK designate
ambassador to Tehran, accusing him of being a spy."
Shireen Hunter; Iran's Foreign Policy in the Post-Soviet Era; Praeger; 2010.
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Date: Fri Jun 7 00:01:02 EDT 2013
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--jargoon
X-Bonus: The greatest obstacle to discovering the shape of the earth, the continents, and the oceans was not ignorance but the illusion of knowledge. -Daniel J. Boorstin, historian, professor, attorney, and writer (1914-2004)
This week's theme: Words that appear to be misspellings
jargoon (jahr-GOON) noun
A colorless, pale yellow, or smoky variety of zircon.
[From French jargon, from Italian giargone, from Persian zargun (golden).
Earliest documented use: 1769.]
Today's word in Visual Thesaurus: http://visualthesaurus.com/?w1=jargoon
"The genial jeweler then suggested white jargoon."
P.G. Wodehouse; The Intrusion of Jimmy; W.J. Watt and Co.; 1910.
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Date: Mon Jun 10 00:01:03 EDT 2013
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--canorous
X-Bonus: Show me a sane man and I will cure him for you. -Carl Jung, psychiatrist (1875-1961)
This week we'll feature a potpourri of words. We opened a dictionary, shook
it gently, and five words fell out. They came in all shapes, sizes, and
senses. They're short and long. They're flighty and grouchy. Call 'em what
you will, a medley of words, a farrago, or a gallimaufry. They're disparate,
they're diverse. They're varied and variegated, unclassified and unsorted.
And they're all ready for use.
canorous (kuh-NOR-uhs, KAN-uhr-uhs) adjective
Melodious; musical.
[From Latin canere (to sing). Ultimately from the Indo-European root
kan- (to sing) which also gave us hen, canto, cantor, recant, accent,
chant, enchant, and incentive. Earliest documented use: 1646.]
Today's word in Visual Thesaurus: http://visualthesaurus.com/?w1=canorous
"The canorous sounds ... provided a cheery moment."
Corrie Perkin; Off to an Opening in Earnest; The Australian (Sydney);
Oct 13, 2008.
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Date: Tue Jun 11 00:01:02 EDT 2013
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--prosaic
X-Bonus: Some stories are true that never happened. -Elie Wiesel, writer, Nobel laureate (b. 1928)
This week's theme: Miscellaneous words
prosaic (pro-ZAY-ik) adjective
1. Dull; unimaginative.
2. Everyday; straightforward; ordinary.
3. Having the character of prose as compared to the feeling of poetry.
[From Latin prosa (prose), from prosa oratio (straightforward speech),
from provertere (to turn forward). Ultimately from the Indo-European
root wer- (to turn or bend), also the source of wring, weird, writhe,
revert, universe, wroth http://wordsmith.org/words/wroth.html ,
verso http://wordsmith.org/words/verso.html ,
conversazione http://wordsmith.org/words/conversazione.html ,
versicolor http://wordsmith.org/words/versicolor.html , and
animadvert http://wordsmith.org/words/animadvert.html .
Earliest documented use: 1589.]
Today's word in Visual Thesaurus: http://visualthesaurus.com/?w1=prosaic
"On a throne ornate to the point of gaudiness, the queen reads out the
legislative agenda of 'her' government, written on goatskin vellum.
The content of that speech is usually more prosaic."
Britain: The Vision Thing; The Economist (London, UK); Nov 10, 2007.
http://www.economist.com/node/10113444
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Date: Wed Jun 12 00:01:05 EDT 2013
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--expansive
X-Bonus: A hungry man is not a free man. -Adlai Stevenson, statesman (1900-1965)
This week's theme: Miscellaneous words
expansive (ik-SPAN-siv) adjective
1. Having a wide range; comprehensive.
2. Friendly, open, communicative.
3. Having a tendency or capacity to expand.
[From Latin expandere (to spread out), from ex- (out) + pandere (to
spread). Earliest documented use: 1651.]
Today's word in Visual Thesaurus: http://visualthesaurus.com/?w1=expansive
"The European Dream is more expansive and systemic, and therefore
more bound to the welfare of the planet."
Jeremy Rifkin; The European Dream; Utne (Topeka, Kansas); Sep/Oct 2004.
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Date: Thu Jun 13 00:01:08 EDT 2013
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--animadversion
X-Bonus: Congratulation: The civility of envy. -Ambrose Bierce, author and editor (1842-1914)
This week's theme: Miscellaneous words
animadversion (an-i-mad-VUHR-zhuhn) noun
1. The act of criticizing.
2. An unfavorable comment.
[From Latin animadvertere (to turn the mind to), from animus (mind) +
advertere (to turn). Ultimately from the Indo-European root wer- (to
turn or bend), also the source of wring, weird, writhe, revert,
universe, wroth http://wordsmith.org/words/wroth.html ,
verso http://wordsmith.org/words/verso.html ,
conversazione http://wordsmith.org/words/conversazione.html ,
versicolor http://wordsmith.org/words/versicolor.html , and
prosaic http://wordsmith.org/words/prosaic.html .
Earliest documented use: 1535.]
Today's word in Visual Thesaurus: http://visualthesaurus.com/?w1=animadversion
"This newspaper has never felt that it is above criticism, especially from
politicians and other public officials who take the brunt of our
animadversion."
PM, Beware the Danger of Attacking the Media; Jamaica Observer (Kingston);
Dec 9, 2011.
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Date: Fri Jun 14 00:01:04 EDT 2013
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--sempiternal
X-Bonus: The big thieves hang the little ones. -Czech proverb
This week's theme: Miscellaneous words
sempiternal (sem-pi-TUHR-nuhl) adjective
Everlasting.
[From Latin semper (always) + aeternus (eternal). Earliest documented
use: before 1475.]
Today's word in Visual Thesaurus: http://visualthesaurus.com/?w1=sempiternal
"The US Postal Service might embrace sempiternal status, too, in the
form of a stamp that would enable the bearer to infinitely freeze the
price of first-class postage with a 'forever' stamp."
Kathy Stevens; Post Office Hopes 'Forever' Stamp Will Deliver;
The York Dispatch (Pennsylvania); Feb 27, 2007.
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Date: Mon Jun 17 00:01:03 EDT 2013
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--rhizophagous
X-Bonus: Since my house burned down / I now own a better view / of the rising moon. -Mizuta Masahide, poet and samurai (1657-1723)
I'm rhizophagous: I feed on roots, the roots of words. A root or two
every few hours keep me satiated. Some roots are dense -- they have
sprouted dozens of offsprings, while others have a small family.
With a knowledge of roots, you can often figure out words you've
never seen before. In the same manner, you can use combining forms to
coin words. This week we'll see five words made with combining forms.
The combining forms we'll use are:
rhizo-, zym-, logo-, pluto-, oto-, rhino-, laryngo- and
-phagous, -urgy, -mania, -latry, -logy.
* What are combining forms? You can think of them as Lego (from Danish,
leg: play + godt: well) bricks of language. As the term indicates, a
combining form is a linguistic atom that occurs only in combination with
some other form which could be a word, another combining form, or an affix.
Unlike a combining form, an affix can't be attached to another affix.
rhizophagous (ry-ZOPH-uh-guhs) adjective
Feeding on roots.
[From Greek rhizo- (root) + -phagous (feeding on). Earliest documented
use: 1832.]
"Let us pause briefly in Alsace, a good observatory and outpost in this
rhizophagous European realm. ... the Alsatians had very specific ways
of using and preparing the tuber."
Madeleine Ferričres; Sacred Cow, Mad Cow: A History of Food Fears;
Columbia University Press; 2006.
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Date: Tue Jun 18 00:01:03 EDT 2013
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--zymurgy
X-Bonus: When I feed the hungry, they call me a saint. When I ask why people are hungry, they call me a communist. -Helder Camara, archbishop (1909-1999)
This week's theme: Words made with combining forms
zymurgy (ZY-muhr-jee) noun
The branch of chemistry dealing with fermentation, as brewing.
[From Greek zym- (ferment) + -urgy (work). Earliest documented use: 1868.]
Today's word in Visual Thesaurus: http://visualthesaurus.com/?w1=zymurgy
NOTES: While zymurgy's day job is raising spirits, it also moonlights as
the last word in a dictionary. Some dictionaries have employed other,
more accomplished, words for the job. Aardvark serves on the opposite end.
"Zymurgy's reek was everywhere."
Ceylon L. Barclay; Red Rum Punch; Cross Cultural Publications; 1994.
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Date: Wed Jun 19 00:01:02 EDT 2013
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--logomania
X-Bonus: The heart has its reasons that reason knows nothing of. -Blaise Pascal, philosopher and mathematician (1623-1662)
This week's theme: Words made with combining forms
logomania (lo-go-MAY-nee-uh) noun
1. Obsessive interest in words.
2. Excessive and often incoherent talking.
[From Greek logo- (word) + -mania (excessive enthusiasm or craze).
Earliest documented use: 1882.]
Today's word in Visual Thesaurus: http://visualthesaurus.com/?w1=logomania
"I just talked and talked, unstoppably, as if possessed by logomania."
Imre Kertész; Kaddish for a Child Not Born; Hydra Books; 1997.
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Date: Thu Jun 20 00:01:03 EDT 2013
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--plutolatry
X-Bonus: The man who dies rich dies disgraced. -Andrew Carnegie, industrialist (1835-1919)
This week's theme: Words made with combining forms
plutolatry (ploo-TOL-uh-tree) noun
Excessive devotion to wealth.
[From Greek pluto- (wealth) + -latry (worship). Earliest documented use:
1891. Pluto was the god of riches in Roman mythology.]
"He said this reflected the 'appearance of unbridled avarice -- the
flowering of plutolatry'."
John F. Copper and Ta-ling Lee; Coping With a Bad Global Image;
University Press of America; 1997.
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Date: Fri Jun 21 00:01:03 EDT 2013
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--otorhinolaryngology
X-Bonus: What is to give light must endure burning. -Viktor Frankl, author, neurologist and psychiatrist, Holocaust survivor (1905-1997)
This week's theme: Words made with combining forms
otorhinolaryngology (oh-toh-ry-no-lar-ing-GOL-uh-jee) noun
The branch of medicine dealing with the ear, nose, and throat.
Also known as otolaryngology.
[The word is coined so that one is forced to use all three -- ear, nose,
and throat -- to be able to pronounce it. Either that, or it's from
Greek oto- (ear) + rhino- (nose) + laryngo- (larynx) + -logy (study).
Earliest documented use: 1900. Also see, rhinorrhea http://wordsmith.org/words/rhinorrhea.html .]
Today's word in Visual Thesaurus: http://visualthesaurus.com/?w1=otorhinolaryngology
"Pete Colangelo, chief of otorhinolaryngology, hunched in front of
Ellen Sandler, peering through the center hole of his head mirror
at a hyperilluminated spot far within her left nostril."
Michael Palmer; Side Effects; Bantam; 1985.
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Date: Mon Jun 24 00:01:04 EDT 2013
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--fishwife
X-Bonus: Every human being's essential nature is perfect and faultless, but after years of immersion in the world we easily forget our roots and take on a counterfeit nature. -Lao-Tzu, philosopher (6th century BCE)
This has to be the most unusual way of drinking water by a cat (or any
animal for that matter) : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6uL0WURuZ4 .
Some have called it the most inefficient way of drinking water, but who
needs efficiency when you are having fun?
Now that I have done my part in clogging the intertubes with cat
videos, as a penance for the next five days I'm going to try not to use a
word referring to cats (cat's paw http://wordsmith.org/words/cats_paw.html ,
Kilkenny cats http://wordsmith.org/words/kilkenny_cats.html ,
wildcatter http://wordsmith.org/words/wildcatter.html ,
ailurophile http://wordsmith.org/words/ailurophile.html ,
chatoyant http://wordsmith.org/words/chatoyant.html ,
catbird seat http://wordsmith.org/words/catbird_seat.html ).
But we *will* see words derived from other animals (fish, lion, skunk,
goose, and bird).
fishwife (FISH-wyf) noun
1. A coarse, vulgar-tongued woman.
2. A woman who sells fish.
[From fish, from Old English fisc (fish) + wife, from Old English wif (woman).
Earliest documented use: 1523.]
NOTES: Billingsgate, London's famous fish market, was once known for the
foul language of its fishmongers. Now the word billingsgate
http://wordsmith.org/words/billingsgate.html has become synonymous with
coarse language. Fishwife is another word to come out of this trade, as
in the expression "to swear like a fishwife". It has not been determined
who the winner might be in a swearing contest between a fishwife and a
sailor.
Today's word in Visual Thesaurus: http://visualthesaurus.com/?w1=fishwife
"His mother was a shrill fishwife who yelled and screamed even with
visitors in the house."
Brian Doherty; 40 Years of Free Minds and Free Markets; Reason
(Los Angeles); Dec 2008.
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Date: Tue Jun 25 00:01:05 EDT 2013
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--skunky
X-Bonus: Should you shield the canyons from the windstorms you would never see the true beauty of their carvings. -Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, psychiatrist and author (1926-2004)
This week's theme: Word coined from animals
skunky (SKUNG-kee) adjective
1. Mean or contemptible.
2. Having an unpleasant odor.
3. Of or relating to a skunk.
[From skunk, an animal that ejects a foul-smelling liquid when frightened.
Derived from an Algonquian language. Earliest documented use: 1897.]
"I had a couple of skunky-sounding audience tapes, tinkling out
distant brown scurf from Nassau Coliseum."
Ben Ratliff; Bring Out Your Dead; The New York Times; Apr 10, 2009.
"The battle over campaign disclosure in Idaho's education-reform
campaign is the latest skunky fruit of Citizens United."
Shawn Vestal; Ills of Citizens United Visible in Idaho Election;
Spokesman Review (Spokane, Washington); Oct 26, 2012.
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Date: Wed Jun 26 00:01:03 EDT 2013
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--gossamer
X-Bonus: I begin to see what marriage is for. It's to keep people away from each other. Sometimes I think that two people who love each other can be saved from madness only by the things that come between them: children, duties, visits, bores, relations, the things that protect married people from each other. -Edith Wharton, novelist (1862-1937)
This week's theme: Word coined from animals
gossamer (GOS-uh-muhr)
noun: 1. Something light, thin, or insubstantial.
2. A soft sheer gauzy fabric, used for veils, etc.
3. A fine, filmy cobweb or its thread seen floating in the air in calm weather.
adjective: Thin, light, or delicate.
[From goose + summer. The term is believed to have originated as a name
for late autumn when geese are in season and then transferred to cobwebs
seen around that time of the year. Earliest documented use: 1325.]
Today's word in Visual Thesaurus: http://visualthesaurus.com/?w1=gossamer
Indian Summer: a peasant woman with a thread of gossamer in her hand:
http://wordsmith.org/words/images/gossamer_large.jpg
Art: Józef Chelmonski (1849-1914)
"Indeed one dare not breathe near them for fear of breaking the gossamer
visions, causing movement to disrupt our focus."
Joan Stanley-Baker; Ephemeral Feminine Fibers of Chen Shu-yen;
Taipei Times (Taiwan); Jul 11, 2004.
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Date: Thu Jun 27 00:01:05 EDT 2013
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--birdlime
X-Bonus: To die for an idea; it is unquestionably noble. But how much nobler it would be if men died for ideas that were true. -H.L. Mencken, writer, editor, and critic (1880-1956)
This week's theme: Word coined from animals
birdlime (BUHRD-lym)
verb tr.: To ensnare.
noun: Something that ensnares.
[From birdlime (a sticky substance made from holly, mistletoe, or other
plants, and smeared on branches and twigs to catch small birds), from
bird + lime, from Latin limus (slime). Earliest documented use: 1440.]
Today's word in Visual Thesaurus: http://visualthesaurus.com/?w1=birdlime
"Some dozen of these villains had her birdlimed inside a shepherd's
hut when our patrol chanced upon them."
Steven Pressfield; Last of the Amazons; Bantam; 2003.
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Date: Fri Jun 28 00:01:05 EDT 2013
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--chameleonic
X-Bonus: We do not err because truth is difficult to see. It is visible at a glance. We err because this is more comfortable. -Alexander Solzhenitsyn, novelist, Nobel laureate (1918-2008)
This week's theme: Word coined from animals
chameleonic (kuh-mee-lee-ON-ik) adjective
Given to quick or frequent change.
[From Latin chamaeleon, from Greek khamaileon, from khamai (on the ground)
+ leon (lion). Ultimately from the Indo-European root dhghem- (earth),
which also sprouted human, homicide, humble, homage, chamomile,
chthonic http://wordsmith.org/words/chthonic.html ,
disinter http://wordsmith.org/words/disinter.html ,
inhume http://wordsmith.org/words/inhume.html, exhume, and
Persian zamindar (landholder).
Earliest documented use: 1821.]
"Bonnie McKee's chameleonic hair color mirrors her divergent writing
styles."
Shirley Halperin & Bob Love; Pop's Top 35 Hitmakers; Hollywood Reporter;
Feb 15, 2013.